Is it cultural appropriation when a European descendant belly dances?
I will preface this with the acknowledgement that I am a white American woman of Norse and European descent. As far as I know, what we call “belly dance” is not a part of any of the cultures I descend from.
As someone who has been practicing and studying belly dance for many years, I feel like I have some insight into knowing the difference between appropriating a culture and appreciating it.
On the surface, I think it comes down to intention. At the end of the day though, even those with the best intentions can appropriate a culture just by being ignorant to it. Here are a few ideas I have on making sure you’re truly appreciating a culture that you love and respect.
Educate yourself on the culture
I do my best to learn about the history of “belly dance” and the cultures of the people who come from those regions. I might read a book on Turkish culture and then get immersed in Palestinian folk music for a while. A dancer might catch my eye and get me focused on her story. I follow source dancers on social media. I’ve really enjoyed Tamalyn Dallal’s books. She is not a source dancer, but has traveled extensively to these regions (and danced around the world) and has a truly wonderful view of the people and culture.
Seek out source dancers
A source dancer is someone who learned “belly dance” as part of their culture. They will have learned the movements from family and their community. Many of them are not formally trained. Find these people and take in the knowledge that they are willing to share. Their perspective is probably the most important one you will gain as a dancer. They come from many cultures and their backgrounds and histories are full of eons of tradition. These dancers hold the key to keeping these practices alive and thriving authentically.
Be respectful in your representation of another culture
Learning about the culture you are immersing yourself in will eventually bring to light the nuances that someone outside the culture wouldn’t be aware of otherwise. I find translations to music whose lyrics I do not understand. Finding out that a song I want to choreograph is deeply religious definitely changes my intention and I will probably choose a different one. Even some dance movements have nuanced meanings that you may not be aware of. It can be highly offensive to see someone misrepresenting your culture.
Be open to feedback from people from that culture
This one is the most important, but maybe the most difficult as well. It can be hard to hear that someone is offended by your interpretation of their culture. If someone opens up a dialogue with you about your use of their culture, keep an open mind. Having a conversation with them may open up a new perspective and make your appreciation of their culture more profound.
If cultures are not shared they disappear
There are so many cultures that we have lost. Colonization, war, natural disaster, genocide and just the passing of time has not just changed cultural histories and practices. Whole worlds full of knowledge have been erased. Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, Mesopotamian … These histories are mysteries to us now. We have lost our connection to these people and how they lived. If we do not share one another’s cultures then they disappear all together.
Levels of acceptable appropriation
There seem to be levels of acceptable “appropriation” for certain cultures. There are places and times where it’s just become more accepted and that’s fine. I’m not here to tell people how to feel about what I do. They can dislike it or even hate it. They can even tell me if they feel like they need to. I’ll do my best to hear it with an open mind and consider it with a peaceful heart. Will I quit belly dancing because of it? Probably not. I feel like I’m in a constant state of learning and I want to learn about different cultures and the people and their art. And I consider belly dance to be one of the MENAHT region’s greatest forms of art.
That time I maybe appropriated belly dance culture
I’ll close with a quick story. A confession, really. A few years ago I was debuting a new solo at a friend’s Halloween party. After the performance there was a costume contest that my son really wanted me to enter. So I did. Except that I didn’t come with a Halloween costume. I entered as … a belly dancer. In the moment we were having fun, but later I had to ask myself whether I would have thought it was as charming if someone else had done it. At the end of the day I’m not sure. I just know that I am a little more aware of my representation of these cultures.
What are your thoughts on cultural appropriation vs appreciation? Have you ever felt that your culture was appropriated? How did you deal with it?